Members of the community gathered together Sunday afternoon to celebrate the 100th year of the NAACP and to present a Black History Program at Ararat Missionary Baptist Church.

Anise Hickman welcomed the crowd as mistress of ceremonies for the event, which began with the opening song of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

The president of the Surry County chapter of the NAACP, Faye Carter, read the organization’s mission statement and welcomed the crowd.

“I urge all citizens to join me to honor the contributions that African Americans have made to our community,” Carter said.

A dance performance was given by a team of dancers under the direction of Marie Nicholson, called “Black Butterfly.”

Annie Hylton performed a dramatization of a speech given by a black woman who called herself Sojourner True in 1951 called “Ain’t I a Woman.”

Perry March sang a solo and introduced the guest speaker, the Rev. James Brannon.

Brannon addressed the crowd with the message reverberating around Isaiah Chapter 43, verse 18.

“Remember ye not the former things, do not consider the things of old, behold I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth, ye not know it. I will even make a way in the wilderness and the rivers in the desert.

“History is the study of human past,” he told those gathered Sunday. “The past has left many traditions, folk tales, and works of art, and books and written records of our accomplishments and historians have been recording the events since they invented the alphabet. Sometimes we study the past to gain a better understanding of other people and places, but the purpose of our recorded history is to draw valuable lessons from which we can improve our own lifestyles.”

Brannon told the congregation that until the advent of Black History Month school children learned little about black history.

“All of the black history that they studied was the plight of slavery in the South prior to the Civil War. There is very little written in textbooks about the death of slavery and the pain in America. It was not a bad a idea to set aside one month out of the year to concentrate on setting the record straight. It’s about time we taught our own black children there is more to our history than our ancestors in slavery. Black children today are shocked to hear that Henry Ford bought the concept for the first automobile (from a black man). They were shocked to hear that a black was credited for inventing the mouse trap, the umbrella and the iron board. They are shocked to hear that a black man was the first to perform open heart surgery. Oh yes, it’s important to know something about your history. Your history helps to define who you are as a people,” Brannon said.

“Dwelling too much in the past can create differences in the present. If we could see today that we have become so busy rejoicing over our past gains in civil rights that we have forgotten how far we still have to go. Something has to stir the waters of complacency. Our average income is still significantly lower than our white counterparts. We are still the last to be hired and the first to be fired in most cases. Our communities are still the major targets of illegal drug distribution. We are still rejected for bank loans at an alarming rate. Our children still make up the largest percentage of the incarcerated. We still have too small in numbers in the upward mobility community. Too many of us still live from week to week,” Brannon told the congregation.

Brannon touched on the topic of the newly elected President Barrack Obama.

“The election was a divine order from God. Because there’s no way that the black community could elect him by ourselves. But he has brought a group of people —brothers and sisters together of all races. Church, we must have faith that God is going to do a new thing. This is a day when all of God’s children will be able to sing ‘My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.’ I have a dream, I have a dream, I have a dream that is rooted in the word of God and in the vision of his people. I have a dream that this congregation of this church that is gathered here and this local chapter of the local NAACP will become a stronger community, with a committed following of Christ, who can bring light and salt to an increasingly dark and decaying society and to demonstrate a better way of living. I have a dream today, that boys and girls, men and women, black and white, rich and poor can experience joy gathering around the word of God to study, follow and share his message,” Brannon concluded.

Carter gave the closing remarks, saying that she hopes that many more people will join the local NAACP chapter which meets each month on the third Sunday at Spencer Funeral Home. Memberships are $30 per year. For more information about joining call Juanita March at 786-4549.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.